Please continue to spread the word to others who may wish to receive this information that they will need to access the Members Only portion of the ARRL web site to supply their email address. Once they are logged in they should click on “Member Data page” and then on “Modify membership data” at the top of the page. After they have filled in a valid email address in the “Email” block they should scroll down and make sure that the box next to “News and information from your Division Director and Section Manager” is checked. Then, once they click on “Submit modification” the job’s done!

It’s never too early — 2010 Field Day Packets Now Available – see article near the hamfest list.

==> New ARRL Web Site is Here! But … QRX..

Full-scale load testing of the new Web site is now complete and we have a much better picture of the problems that caused the site crash earlier this week. Thank you for your patience during this activity. These tests have been very helpful in assuring that the site will operate smoothly when it is formally launched. In the meantime, we will continue to use the old Web site.

On Wednesday, March 24, the ARRL launched a new Web site to connect Amateur Radio operators around the world with the dynamic services that the League offers to the ham radio community. The “old” Web site went dark for a few hours early on Wednesday, March 24, starting around 10 AM (EDT) and lasting for a few hours. During this period the servers, programs and data were shifted over to the new site. But it soon became obvious that there were problems as the program slowed to a crawl.

It did not go smoothly. Problems resulted and HQ reverted to the old web presence. At the moment code is being tweaked and hopefully the problems will be solved. It is a massive undertaking and it may take a while to get it right. Sorry if you were disappointed but such are the problems of the new online world. Patience please!

==> ARRL Requests Support for Senate Bill 1755 (Mar 10, 2010 [REVISED Mar 23, 2010 11:51 ET]) — Senate Bill 1755 — The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 introduced in October 2009 by Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) — has unanimously passed the US Senate and has been sent to the US House of Representatives for consideration and now sits in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The ARRL is asking its membership to contact the leadership of the Energy and Commerce committee, requesting support and action on moving S 1755 through the committee. S 1755 accomplishes the same things as HR 2160; HR 2160 was introduced in April 2009 by Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18). Since S 1755 has already been approved by the Senate, moving it forward in the House will simplify the process.

S 1755 points out that “[t]here is a strong Federal interest in the effective performance of Amateur Radio Service stations, and that performance must be given — (A) support at all levels of government; and (B) protection against unreasonable regulation and impediments to the provision of the valuable communications provided by such stations.”

If enacted into law, S 1755 would instruct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to undertake a study — and report its findings to Congress within 180 days — on the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio communications in emergencies and disaster relief.

The study shall: * Include recommendations for enhancements in the voluntary deployment of Amateur Radio licensees in disaster and emergency communications and disaster relief efforts. * Include recommendations for improved integration of Amateur Radio operators in planning and in furtherance of the Department of Homeland Security initiatives. * Identify unreasonable or unnecessary impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio communications, such as the effects of private land use regulations on residential antenna installations, and make recommendations regarding such impediments. * Include an evaluation of Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104, 110 Stat. 56 (1996)). * Recommend whether Section 207 should be modified to prevent unreasonable private land use restrictions that impair the ability of amateurs to conduct, or prepare to conduct, emergency communications by means of effective outdoor antennas and support structures at reasonable heights and dimensions for the purpose, in residential areas. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall utilize the expertise of stakeholder entities and organizations, including Amateur Radio, emergency response and disaster communications.

Please contact Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA-30) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX-6), urging them to send this bipartisan bill to the House floor for adoption. A sample letter can be found here. Send your letters urging consideration of S 1755 by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to Rep Waxman via fax at 202-225-4099, and to Rep Barton via fax at 202-225-3052. Also, please fax a copy of your letters to the ARRL’s Washington representative, Chwat & Co at 703-684-7594. For more information on S 1755, please visit the ARRL Government Relations Web page.

Companion Bill Introduced in US House to Provide Technical Resources to FCC Commissioners (Mar 16, 2010) — Following the Senate’s lead, Representative Jerry McNerny (D-CA-11), introduced HR 4809 — the FCC Commissioners’ Technical Resource Enhancement Act — in the House of Representatives on March 10. Copying the exact language from S 2881 (a bill with the same name) introduced by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) in December 2009, the bill seeks to provide greater technical resources to FCC Commissioners. &#61680; At its 2010 Annual Meeting this past January, the ARRL Board of Directors endorsed the proposal to add a technical engineer/scientist to each FCC Commissioner’s staff, as described in S 2881. You may see messages on ham reflectors asking for support of this bill. These are legitimate requests as we learned in the BPL experience it is a good thing if the FCC has technical resources and listens to its advisors rather than lobbyists for commercial interests. Full story at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/16/11392/?nc=1

==> FCC Proposes to Eliminate Spread Spectrum APC Requirement, Reduce Spread Spectrum Power Limit; Cleans Up Portions of Part 97 (Mar 18, 2010) — In response to a 2006 ARRL Petition regarding spread spectrum issues, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on March 16 (WT Docket No 10-62), proposing to amend Part 97 to facilitate the use of spread spectrum communications technologies by eliminating the requirement that amateur stations use automatic power control (APC) to reduce transmitter power when the station transmits a spread spectrum (SS) emission and reducing the maximum transmitter power output when transmitting a SS emission. Through an Order attached to the NPRM, the Commission also made “certain non-substantive revisions” to the Amateur Service rules.

==> FCC Releases National Broadband Plan (Mar 16, 2010) — This morning, the FCC held an Open Meeting to introduce its report Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) that will be delivered to Congress today. Calling it “an ambitious agenda for connecting all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future — robust, affordable Internet,” the Commission found the nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband.

Last month I spotlighted a few books I thought you might be interested in reading. Jeff Murray, K1NSS, has informed me that he will be at the Mt. Beacon hamfest and at Dayton. Jeff is author artist of a self published cartoon book, lid, kid, space cadet: First Book of Dash! The Dog Faced Ham. Look for him in the at both events where we hope the weather will be dry and sunny.

==> 2010 Field Day Packets Now Available (repeat) — It’s that time of year again — time to start gearing up for ARRL Field Day, June 26-27, 2010! ARRL’s flagship operating event — always held the fourth full weekend in June — brings together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. Field Day packets are now available for download at http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/fd-2010-packet.pdf and include the complete rules (including changes for 2010), as well as other reference items such as forms, ARRL Section abbreviation list, entry submission instructions, a Frequently Asked Questions section, guidelines for getting bonus points, instructions for GOTA stations, a kit to publicize your event with the local press and more.

===> Yet Another Ham Radio Small World Story by Frank Fallon…

This morning after breakfast with the heavy rain I decided to play with the new Elecraft K3 on 17 meters and see if I could work a few English or Irish stations and have a good rag chew. As I have spent so much time over the years in both countries I enjoy working stations in places where I have stayed or visited and talk with hams who might even know some of my friends or relatives. So it was that I found a clear frequency and put out a few CQs. The first few times I called no one answered. It took me while to realize that I was transmitting on the 15 meter loops. Wrong antenna once again. I am not yet use to new manual bandswitch. I put the switch to the 17 meter position and called again and sure enough a station answered.

He was EI3HA/M on his way driving home to Roscommon. So we started to chat about where he was and my Irish connections. Licensed in 1962 I have been at this ham radio game for more than 48 years. My first SSB rig was a Drake R4 bought used in 1965. I spent a lot time in those days on 10 and 15 meters with a 14 QVQ vertical on the roof of the garden apartment where we lived in Cambria Heights in Queens at the time. Ten was great in those years and I quickly started to rack up a lot of EU stations early in the morning. At that point I was on late session at Forest Hills High School and did not start work until 10:30 in the morning. Thus I had an hour or more to look for new ones before I set off for the work day. One of the first Irish stations I worked on SSB was EI8H. I lost him before we could complete that first contact. I had his name but not his QTH or location. When I pulled out the Foreign Call Book and looked him up I was amazed to find that he was located in the town of Granard in County Longford. I was excited because both of my parents who came to the USA in 1928 were born in County Longford. I took the time to look through all of the Irish stations listed in the call book. There were less than 300 listed at that time and only three of them were located in County Longford. So my first Irish QSO was real Irish luck at it finest. I bored a lot of relatives and friends over the next few days with this small world story. Over time I talked to one of the other three in Longford, who was actually a German national who ran the largest factory in Longford at the time employing over 70 people. Six years later my contacts eventually led me finally make a five week family visit to see Ireland with my wife and two children and visit relatives I had heard my parents speak of but who I have never seen. This Irish visit in 1972 led to an application for a Fulbright Teacher Exchange position and eventually the family, my wife and my son and daughter, spent a year in the Blackpool in the North of England in 1974 and 1975. But that story needs its own book.

So here I was talking to Tony who was in his car driving home to Roscommon in heavy rain. It was raining on both sides of the Atlantic at the time. Eventually when signals started to fade I tied the ribbons on my chat with Tony and hoped that we could continue the chat at some future point. That often happens in the ham radio world. When I signed or closed with him he was called by another Irish station and I stayed on frequency listening. The new station explained that he had just come up the band but had been down lower working the west cost of the US on CW. He heard Tony loud and explained that he was usually able to see Tony’s tower from his location in Balinalee. I immediately knew that the new station was in Longford as my mother had often spoken of Balinalee and the famous Irish General, Sean Mac Eoin, who came from that town and eventually headed the UN Irish contingent in the Congo in the 1960?s. When the two Irish stations quickly finished their short chat I called the station in Ballinalee.

He came back and told me his name was Owen (Irish spelling Eoin), EI9O. I told him of my Longford Irish connections in Lanesboro and Longford town. I mentioned that I had visited Longford many times on many visits to Ireland telling him that I had often stayed with my ham friend George, EI6S. Owen replied saying, “Maybe then you know EI8H, my father.”

I actually gasped when he said father.

I came back, “Mary and Pat Fagan are your parents?” I sputtered out.

“Yes,” he responded. I was unaware that any of EI8H’s children had become hams.

“God,” I answered, “My wife and I and our two children met you when you were a little kid. I have many pictures I took of you and your brothers and sisters on our visits to your house in Granard. I can’t believe this! How are your parents?” I asked as I had not talked to EI8H in many years.

Mary and Pat Fagin had twelve children so I am not sure which one is Owen in the pictures. I’ll have to send him one and have him figure it out. While Pat was a farmer, who had been a ships radio operator before settling down to raise children and cows, his wife Mary was a licensed pharmacist who worked in a chemist shop on the main street in Longford town.

“They are fine. They are going to be very excited when I tell them I worked you on the air.”

“Don’t get, Pat too excited. He may not be able to take the strain.” I knew I was pretty excited, so I could imagine how Pat would react.

We signed off shortly after promising to look for each other and continue the conversation next time.

My wife was out in the rain shopping but I had a good story to tell when she came home for lunch. Here was another small world ham radio story for me to tell my friends. God, I hope I don’t bore them too much with this one.

=====> DIVISION NEWSLETTER OF THE MONTH

As reported last month the March 2010 award went to “PACARA Update” the newsletter of the Peekskill/Cortland ARC for their excellent issue. The story “Hunting Pirates” by N2KZ is a real gem and must reading for those of us into radio nostalgia. This is to take nothing away for the constantly fine job the editor, Malcolm Prichard, NM9J, does.

Clubs please make sure that you continue to send a copy of your pdf file to n2ff@arrl.org . I have been missing some issues in the last few months. Not every division club is submitting each month. It’s like Lotto, if you don’t buy a ticket or in this case send a PDF you can’t win!

==> The Garden State Amateur Radio Association will be holding a white elephant sale at our April meeting. We welcome all Radio Amateurs to attend.

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Hudson Division Beacon – March 2010 — No Comments

Looking For Division Archives

At a recent hamfest I found a program from the 1982 Hudson Division
Convention. Over the past few years I’ve found only one or two items
of note regarding our Division and its’ history. It made me realize
that there was no central repository for items of a historical nature
that dealt specifically with the Hudson Division. There appears to be
a dearth of these materials.There have been conventions, both Division and National, in the Hudson
Division going back to the 1930s, clubs galore with their own QSL
cards, newsletters that were sent to members by Division leadership,
and so forth. So before it’s too late, and while we still have
members who have squirreled away copies of these materials in filing
cabinets or basement boxes, I am reaching out to the Division and
asking that you consider one of two things. First, please consider
parting with these materials and letting me take them. I’ll scan
them, put them up on the Division website to share with the members,
and then pass them on to succeeding Directors as the keepers of our
story.If you would prefer not to part with them, then please consider
scanning the items for placing on the website. Items would include:
Convention programs, Director newsletters (yes, they used to be printed
and mailed), Club QSL cards, QSL cards of operators of note, pins,
badges, etc., etc.Please let me know what you have